Sealing means for vanes of rotary vane machines



Aug. 0, 1966 K. EICKMANN 3,269,329

SEALING MEANS FOR VANES ROTARY VANE MACHINES Filed Oct. 22, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet, 1

FIG.1 H62 iii INVENTOR A QFZ E'akDrQ/V:

ATTORNEY Aug. 30, 1966 K. EICKMANN 3,269,329

SEALING MEANS FOR VANES OF ROTARY VANE MACHINES Filed Oct. 22, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS FIG? I NVE N TOR Karl ,E/z/cna Q'M ff/7 g? ATTORNEY K. EICKMANN 3,269,329

SEALING MEANS FOR VANES OF ROTARY VANE MACHINES Aug. 30, 1966 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 22, 1962 FIGJO w y a w United States Patent 3,269,329 SEALING MEANS F03 VANES 0F ROTARY VANE MACHINES Karl Eickmann, 2420 Isshiki, Hayama-machi, Minragun, Kanagawa-ken, Japan Filed Oct. 22, 1962, Ser. No. 232,114 Claims priority, application Germany, Oct. 28, 1961, E 21,875 20 Claims. (Cl. 103-136) The present invention relates to means for sealing the vanes of rotary vane machines which separate the adjacent work chambers or cells of such a machine from each other.

In fluid handling machines of this type, and especially in those which operate under high pressure, the efficiency of the machine is dependent very highly upon the close fit and sealing action between the vanes and the walls of the slots in the rotor in which the vanes are movable during the rotation of the rotor. On the other hand, this fit should not be too tight since the friction between the vanes and the slot walls in the rotor would otherwise be too strong and the vanes would be seriously deformed by heat and tend to seize on the slot walls.

It is an object of the present invention to provide suitable sealing means for the vanes of fluid handling rotary vane machines which permit a relatively large clearance to be maintained between the vanes and the walls of the rotor slots but still insure that the vanes will be properly sealed at all times to withstand high pressures.

An important feature of the present invention for attaining the above-mentioned object consists in sealing the part of a lateral surface of each vane which faces a work chamber or cell of the machine and is acted upon by the pressure medium in this chamber by providing the vane with sealing means in the form of gasket strips which are inserted into the gaps between the vanes and the rotor slots in which the vanes are movable so as to seal the adjacent work chambers or cells tightly relatively to each other.

The sealing means according to the present invention are far superior to the known types of piston rings as used in conventional internal combustion engines with reciprocating pistons and also in rotary piston engines since they seal the individual work chambers or cells absolutely hermetically and prevent pressure leaks through unsealed edges and slots which are unavoidable with piston rings. The clearance between the vanes and the slot walls in the rotor may therefore be very large and the friction on the vanes and their heat sensitivity will be very low. Due to the particular sealing means according to the invention the machine will also operate properly and efficiently under very high pressures.

More particularly, the invention relates to vanes which extend axially beyond the work chambers of the machine and are thus provided with axial vane extensions which are slidably mounted in slots in the rotor side walls and project in the radial direction beyond the outer circumference of the work chamber or cell so as to embrace the casing ring and, if provided, a pivotable skid on each vane. The gasket strips according to the invention are preferably provided within the vane and vane extensions and extend up to the axial end surfaces of the casing ring or also of the vane skid, if provided, thus forming a ring which extends from one end surface of the casing ring and vane skid and around the work chamber to the other end surface of the casing ring and vane skid so that this gasket ring is interrupted merely by the axial length of the casing ring and vane skid but is otherwise completely closed.

In the most perfect embodiment of the invention, each vane is provided with gasket strips at both lateral sides thereof so that the gaps between the vane and its extensions and the walls of the slots containing the same are tightly closed. In a simplified embodiment of the invention, and especially if the machine is rotatable in only one direction and the vane is always forced under pressure against one and the same slot wall, it will be sufficient if the vane is sealed only toward one side. For this purpose, the gasket strips only need to be provided on those surfaces of the slot walls against which the vane is not pressed by the pressure medium contained in the adjacent work chamber.

Although in principle, the gasket strips may be inserted into grooves which may be provided either in the vane or in the slot walls, for practical reasons and especially for reasons of a more simple manufacture, the grooves for the gasket strips are preferably provided in the vane.

Another feature of the invention which is applied in a preferred embodiment thereof consists in the provision of several gasket strips which are disposed at an angle, for example, a right angle, to each other and join or cross each other in :a manner so as to surround the work chamber or cell like a frame.

A further object of the invention is to provide suitable means for pressing the gasket strips at all times reliably against the walls of the gaps which are to be sealed.

Therefore, in order to increase the sealing pressure against these walls, the invention provides special pressureexerting means for pressing the gasket strips against the walls of the slots containing the vanes and vane extensions. These means may consist either of springs or of liquid or gaseous pressure media or of both in cooperation with each other. The pressure medium may either consist of the operating medium of the machine or it may be supplied from a separate source.

In their simplest form, the gasket strips consist of straight rods which may be of any desired cross-sectional shape. They may consist of metal or a nonmetallic material and may also be provided with sealing lips or be of a dovetailed or similar cross section. Gasket strips of the latter kind may be applied even in a machine which operates with a medium under a high temperature, for example, a combustion engine, since the gasket strips are located outside of the area which contains the highest temperature.

Another feature of the invention consists in combining the gasket strips so as to form one continuous strip which surrounds the work chamber like a ring with the exception of the area containing the casing ring. This embodiment of the invention has the advantage that each side of the vane to be sealed only requires a single gasket strip and that consequently there are also no means required to prevent several individual gasket strips from shifting in the longitudinal direction. Also in this case, pressure-exerting means may be provided in order to press the single gasket strip against the adjacent wall of the rotor slot containing the vanes.

It is a further object of the invention to provide special sealing :means in the form of gasket strips for the purpose of sealing a vane skid or the pivot pin thereof relative to the associated vane.

Another object of the invention concerns generally the use of gasket strips for the purpose of sealing the vanes of rotary vane machines which may serve and operate as pumps, compressors, internal combustion engines, expanders or releasors, or similar apparatus and may operate either with liquid or gaseous media.

Still another object of the invention is to employ and utilize centrifugal force for increasing the sealing effect. It is therefore another feature of the invention that the gasket strips are provided with beveled surfaces which engage with corresponding surfaces on the parts on which they are mounted, that is, especially in grooves which are provided in the vane, so that under the action of the centrifugal force these gasket strips are forced against the wall of the associated opposite part, that is, particularly against the wall of a slot in the rotor containing the vane or in the rotor side wall. By thus employing the centrifugal force, it is possible to omit special pressureexertin-g means for pressing the gasket strips against the slot walls. However, such means may also be employed for this purpose in combination with the centrifugal force.

A further object of the invention is to employ the centrifugal force so as to act upon gasket strips which extend in the axial direction relative to the axis of the rotor.

The above-mentioned as well as still further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings of several preferred embodiments thereof which, however, are not intended to limit the scope of the invention and in which FIGURE 1 shows a front view of the vane according to the invention which is provided with straight gasket strips which are combined to form a frame;

FIGURE 2 shows a cross section taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows a longitudinal section taken along line 33 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 shows a modification of the invention with a single gasket strip of a substantially elliptical shape;

FIGURE 5 shows a cross section taken along line 5-5 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 shows another modification of the invention with a gasket ring of a circular shape;

FIGURE 7 shows a cross section taken along line 77 in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 shows a further modification of the invention in which the vane is also provided with a vane skid which is adapted to engage with the casing ring;

FIGURE 9 shows a cross section taken along line 9-9 in FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 shows still another modification of the invention which is similar to the embodiment according to FIGURE 1 but provided with gasket strips with beveled surfaces for increasing the pressure of these strips against the rotor slot walls by the employment of centrifugal force; while FIGURE 11 shows at the left side a cross section which is taken along line -1111 and at the right side another cross section which is taken along line Ila-11a in FIGURE 10.

In the drawings, FIGURES 1 to 3 illustrate a vane of a rotary vane machine which consists of a central part 21 and the axial vane extensions 22 and 23 which are provided with radial projections 24 and 25, respectively. As shown in FIGURES 10 and 11, each vane 20 is inserted in a manner known as such into between slot faces of slots 15 in a rotor 16 or in the associated rotor side walls 17. The radial projections 24 and 25 embrace the casing ring 18, and, if provided, also a vane skid 80 at both sides, as seen in the axial direction of the rotor. Casing ring 18 and vane skid 80 therefore engage into the recess 26 between the two radial projections 24 and 25 on the vane extensions 22 and 23.

Vane skid 80 may be pivotably mounted either by means of a continuous pivot pin or a pair of lateral pins 27 in the bores 28 and 29 in the projections 24 and 25.

Casing ring 18 is mounted in the usual manner so as to be disposed eccentrically to the axis of the rotor 16 with its transverse end faces between confronting faces of the rotor side walls 17 so that the work chambers or cells which are formed by vanes 20 in the working space between the central rotor body, the rotor side walls, and the casing ring or body, continuously increase and then decrease in size during each revolution of the rotor. In

FIGURE 1, the extent of such a work chamber is indicated by the dot-and-dash lines 30, its axial length by the arrows a and its maxim-um radial width by the arrows b. The details of a machine which is provided with vanes substantially similar to those as described above is described and illustrated, e.g., in my prior US. Patent No. 2,975,716.

According to the first embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 U0 3, vane 20 is further provided on its twolateral vane faces with rectangular grooves 31, 32, 33, and 34 which extend in the radial direction and with rectangular grooves 35, 36, 37, and 38 which extend in the axial direction. Grooves 35 and 36 extend radially adjacent to the area of the adjacent work chambers or cells through the entire length of vane 20, while the radial grooves 31 to 34 are provided within the axial vane extensions 22 and 23 and the radially outer axial grooves 37 and 38 are provided in the radial projections 24 and 25 of the vane extensions and extend from the central recess 26.

Grooves 31 to 38 contain gasket strips 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48, respectively, which preferably consist of metal and are of a rectangular or square cross section. Gasket strips 47 and 48 therefore form two separate strips which are inserted in grooves 37 and 38 at the opposite sides of the casing ring or also of the vane skid, if provided.

Gasket strips 45 and 46, however, extend through the entire length of the vane and may be prevented from sliding out of the grooves and 36 by the axial end walls of the slots 15 in the rotor side walls 17. Gasket strip 41 which extends radially toward the inside up to the gasket strip and radially toward the outside, for example, up to the end of the radial projection 24 is provided with a recess 49 into which the axially outer end of gasket strip 47 engages.

At the right side of FIGURE 1, a slight modification is illustrated insofar as the gasket strip 47 extends within groove 37 through the entire axial length of the radial projection 25 of the vane extension 23, while the radially extending gasket strip 42 abuts at one end against the gasket strip 45 and at the other end against the gasket strip 47. At their axially inner ends, both gasket strips 47 at the left and right sides of the vane engage at the end surfaces 39 and 40 against the casing ring 18 or also against the vane skid, if provided.

The individual gasket strips may, however, also be secured in their respective positions in any other suitable manner. Additional sealing elements, for example, in the form of cylindrical transverse pins 50 may be provided for sealing any gap or seam which may occur at the points where the gasket strips abut against or intersect with each other. These additional sealing elements, for example, the transverse pins 50 on the gasket strip 45, may also serve additionally for preventing the gasket strips from sliding in their longitudinal directions.

These additional sealing elements may consist of metal or a suitable plastic or similar material. The bores for receiving these additional sealing elements are preferably drilled after the gasket strips are inserted so as to insure a tight fit at all points of engagement of the sealing element and gasket strips.

For pressing the gasket strips against the walls of the slots containing the vanes, compression springs, for example, coil springs 51, 52, 53, 54, are provided which are arranged in pairs and press the gasket strips outwardly against the slots walls. Springs 5 1 to 54 are inserted in bores 55, 56, 57, 58, respectively, which extend transversely through the entire width of the vanes. Of course, in place of coil springs it is also possible to provide any other suitable kind of springs, for example, leaf springs.

Additional bores or channels, for example, 59 or 60, may also be provided in the vane to permit a pressure medium to be conducted from the outside to the inner or rear side of the gasket strips so as to supplement the action of the springs of pressing the gasket strips against the slot walls.

According to the modification of the invention as illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, the separate straight gasket strips of the first embodiment as previously described are replaced by continuous gasket strips 61 and 62 of a substantially elliptical shape which are inserted into corre sponding grooves 63 and 64 in vane 20. In all other respects, van is of the same design as described with reference to the first embodiment. Grooves 63 and 64 and gasket strips 61 and 62 again extend up to the edges 39 and 40 of the radial projections 24 and 25 which abut against the casing ring or also against the vane skid, if provided, which engage into the recess 26. Each gasket strip 61. and 62 is pressed against the respective slot wall by one or preferably several springs and 66, for example, coil springs, leaf springs, or the like, which are inserted into grooves 63 and 64 and are prevented by any suitable means from sliding laterally. By the provision of bores 67 and 68 or other channels, a pressure medium may be conducted into grooves 63 and 64 to the rear side of gasket strips 61 and 6-2 to press the gasket strips against the slot walls either in cooperation with or in place of springs 65 and 66.

Since the parts of the vane adjacent to the work chamber or cell 30 and especially the radially outer part, that is, adjacent to the bore 69 for the pivot pin of the vane skid, may be subjected to considerable heat and therefore also to considerable expansion and deformation which might cause the vane to seize in the rotor slot, the central area of the vane according to FIGURE 5 which is exposed to the heat is provided with beveled surfaces 70 and 71 so that the walls of these parts of the vane converge radially toward the outside. As shown in FIGURE 5, these beveled surfaces may start at groove 63 and 64 or at the. gasket strips 6-1 and 62 or slightly above them. They may also be the starting points of bores 67 and 68 so that a pressure medium which may be gaseous or liquid and may also be a lubricant can easily pass from the rotor slots into the grooves 63 and 64.

The further embodiment of the invention as illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7 diifers from the embodiment according to FIGURES 4 and 5 primarily by the fact that, instead of being of an elliptical shape, the grooves 72 and 73 and gasket strips 74 and 75 are substantially circircular. For pressing the gasket rings 74 and 75 firmly against the slot walls of the rotor, vane 20 is further provided with bores 76 and 77 which extend from its radially inner surface and terminate into the chambers 78 and 79 which are in grooves 72 and 73 behind gasket rings 74 and 75. A pressure medium may then be conducted through bores 76 and 77 into these chambers to press the gasket rings like pistons against the slots walls of the rotor.

The further embodiment of the invention as illustrated in FIGURES 8 and 9 is substantially similar to that according to FIGURES 4 and 5. These drawings additionally show the vane skid 80 which is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 81 in the radial projections 24 and 25 of vane 20. For sealing the work chamber or cell 30, lip-shaped gasket strips 82 and 83 are provided which are inserted into substantially elliptical grooves 84 and 85 and terminate at the edges 39 and 40 of the radial vane projections. Each of these gasket strips 22 and 23 has an outwardly bent sealing lip 82a or 83a, respectively, which when pressing against the slot walls is bent more or less inwardly. These gasket strips should therefore consist of a resilient or plastic material. Additional spring means or a pressure medium are in this case not required for pressing the gasket strips 82 and 83 against the slot Walls.

The application of such gasket strips in the conventional engines with reciprocating pistons has not been very successful, primarily because the piston speeds relative to the cylinder walls were very high. Since in rotary 6 vane engines, however, the speed of the vanes relative to the walls of the rotor slots is usually low even at very high speeds of the rotor of many thousands r.p.m., nonmetallic lip gaskets may therefore be applied very successfully.

The vane according to FIGURES 8 and 9 is further provided with another gasket strip 86 which is inserted into a groove 87 and has a dovetailed projection 88 engaging upon the pivot pin 81 of the vane skid 80. Gasket strip 86 may extend over the entire length of the vane. Similar gasket strips 89 and 90 which likewise preferably consist of a nonmetallic material. may be inserted into grooves 91 and 92 in the vane skid 80 and extend over the length of the latter up to the edge surfaces 39 and 40.

FIGURES l0 and 11 illustrate a vane according to a further modification of the invention which-insofar as the arrangement of the gasket strips is concernedsubstantially corresponds to the vane according to FIG- URES l to 3. These gasket strips 100, 101, 102, 103, and 104 are provided with beveled surfaces and are inserted into corresponding beveled grooves 110, 111, 112, 113, and 114, respectively. As shown in FIGURE 11, the axially extending grooves 110, 113, and 114 as, well as the gasket strips 100, 103, and 104 which are inserted therein have a triangular cross section, while the longitudinal grooves 111 and 112 and the gasket strips 101 and 102 therein are wedge-shaped in their longitudinal direction.

Since during the rotation of the rotor the centrifugal force which then acts upon the gasket strips tends to move them radially in the outward direction, as indicated by the arrow 1, the relative movement of the beveled surfaces, for example, of the surfaces a and 102a, of the gasket strips and grooves then produces the result that the gasket strips are pressed laterally against the walls 105 and 106 of the rotor slot with a force which increases in proportion with the speed of the rotor.

By making the gasket strips of suitable weights and the angles of the beveled surfaces of the gasket strips 100 to 104 and the associated grooves 110 to 114 of suitable sizes, it is possible to attain an ideal sealing effeet at a low friction between the vanes and the walls of the rotor slots. The pressure of the lubricant from the rotor and the side wall slots then also produces an ideal lubrication.

Similarly as shown in FIGURE 9, the vane according to FIGURES l0 and 11 is also provided with gasket strips 86, 89, and 90 on the pivot pin 81 of the vane skid 80.

The individual gasket strips may, of course, also be divided. Thus, for example, gasket strip 100 may be divided into two parts 110a and 11%.

The gasket strips may in all cases be applied on one or both sides of the vane. The individual features of the different embodiments of the invention, as illustrated and described may also be exchanged for or suitably combined with each other. Thus, for example, in place of the elliptical, oblong, or circular gasket strips of the embodiments according to FIGURES 4 to 9, it is possible to apply straight gasket strips similar to those as shown in FIGURES l to 3 or FIGURES l0 and 11. Similarly it is also possible in all cases to provide either springs or pressure media or both in combination with each other for pressing the gasket strips against the slot walls of the rotor. Any of the different embodiments of the invention may also be provided with additional gasket strips on the pivot pin of each vane similarly as shown at 86, 89, and 90 in FIGURES 9 and 11, or with beveled surfaces similarly as shown at 70 and 71 in FIGURE 5, or with other additional means as described.

Having thus described my invention in detail, what I claim is:

1. In a rotary vane machine having a rotor comprising a central rotor part and rotor side walls axially at both sides of said central part, said rotor having substantially radial slots extending radially within said central rotor part and said rotor side walls, and a casing ring surrounding said central rotor part, said rotor side walls at least substantially engaging with the two opposite lateral sides of said casing ring, the combination comprising a vane slidably mounted in one of said slots and having such a length that a central part of said vane extends axially along the length of said central rotor part, while the two end portions of said vane extend at least partly into said rotor side walls, said end portions having projections extending radially in the outward direction and embracing said casing ring at both lateral sides thereof, at least one longitudinal side of said vane including said projections being slidably associated with the wall of one of said slots so as to form an intermediate gap, and sealing means in the form of gasket strip means sealing said gap and extending from one lateral side of said casing ring into one end portion of said vane and around a central part of said longitudinal side of said vane into the opposite end portion of said vane and up to the other lateral side of said casing ring.

2. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 1, in which said vane is provided with groovelike recesses and said gasket strip means are mounted substantially in said recesses.

3. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 1, in which said vane is provide-d with groovelike recesses in accordance with the position of said gasket strip means for receiving the latter, said groovelike recesses comprising a first grooved part extending substantially in the axial longitudinal direction of said vane along the central part and into said end portions of said vane, a pair of second grooved parts in said end portions connected with said first grooved part and extending verti-. cally thereto, and third grooved parts in said projections of said end portions connected with said second grooved parts and each extending substantially parallel to said first grooved part up to the axially inner end surface of the projection containing the same and located adjacent to the associated lateral surface of said casing ring.

4. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 3, in which said gasket strip means in said first and third grooved parts extend along the entire length thereof, while said gasket strip means in said second grooved parts only extend between the points of intersection of said second grooved parts with said first and third grooved parts.

5. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 3, in which said vane is provided with groovelike recesses in opposite sides thereof and said gasket strip means are mounted substantially in said recesses, and further comprising means for pressing said gasket strip means contained in the groovelike recesses in said opposite longitudinal sides of said vane simultaneously outwardly of each other toward the adjacent walls of said slot containing said vane.

6. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 5, in which said vane is provided with transverse bores connecting the opposite recesses in said opposite sides of said vane with each other, said additional means comprising spring elements in said bores acting upon the inner sides of said gasket strip means in said opposite recesses.

7. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 5, in which said additional means comprise channels in said vane adapted to be connected to a source of pressure medium and communicating with said groovelike recesses so that said pressure medium will act upon said gasket strip means.

8. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 1 including a casing ring surrounding said rotor, and two adjacent vanes in said slots defining with said rotor and said casing ring a work chamber, said gasket strip means forming a continuous curved gasket strip surrounding the area formed by the axial cross section of the adjacent work chamber and having ends located in the area of said casing ring.

9. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 8, in which said curved gasket strip has a substantially elliptical shape.

10. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 1, in which the central part of said vane adjacent to said work chambers is beveled by converging radially toward the outside.

11. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 10, in which said beveled part of said vane substantially extends in radial direction from said gasket strip means to the radially outer edge of said vane.

12. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 1 and further comprising a vane skid adapted to slide along said casing ring, a pivot pin pivotably connecting said vane skid to said vane, and additional gasket strip means interposed between said vane and said pivot pin, and between said pivot pin and said vane skid.

13. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 11, further comprising channels in said vane connecting the Wedge-shaped chambers formed in said vane by said beveled part with a point of said groovelike recesses at the rear of said gasket strip means in said recesses and adapted for conducting a pressure medium from said wedge-shaped chambers into said groovelike recesses.

14. In a rotary vane machine, the combination of claim 1 wherein each vane has a beveled surface inclined radially toward the outside and together with the adjacent wall of said slot defining a wedge-shaped groovelike recess containing said sealing means, whereby during the rotation of said rotor said sealing means are pressed against said slot wall by the action of centrifugal force and the movement of said sealing means along said beveled surface.

15. In a rotary vane machine, the combination as defined in claim 14, in which said sealing means comprise an axially extending gasket strip having a beveled surface engaging with said beveled surface of said vane.

16. A fluid handling device comprising, in combination, a first body having ends; side walls disposed at the ends of said first body and having confronting faces; a second body having end faces between said confronting faces and having a surface defining with said side walls and said first body a working space, said first body and said side walls being formed With connected slots open toward said second body, each slot composed of a central slot portion in said first body and a pair of slot end portions respectively located in said side walls, each slot having a pair of slot faces; vanes mounted in said slots, respectively, and having pairs of vane faces respectively confronting said slot faces, said vanes projecting into said working space to divide the same into a plurality of working chambers adapted to expand and contract for intake or discharge of a fluid during operation of the fluid handling device, at least one of said faces being formed with groove means spaced from said working space; and sealing means disposed in said groove means and located in said slots between at least one of said vane faces and one of said slot faces and extending from one of said end faces of said second body through one of said slot end portions in one of said side walls, through said central slotportion, and through the other slot end portion in the other side wall to the other end face of said second body and being spaced from said working space.

17. A fluid handling device comprising, in combination, a first body having ends; side walls disposed at the ends of said first body and having confronting faces; a second body having end faces between said confronting faces and having a surface defining with said side walls and said first body a working space, said first body and said side walls being formed with connected slots open toward said second body, each slot composed of a central slot portion in said first body and a pair of slot end portions respectively located in said side walls, each slot having a pair of slot faces; vanes mounted in said slots, respectively, and having pairs of vane faces respectively confronting said slot faces, said vanes projecting into said working space to divide the same into a plurality of working chambers adapted to expand and contract for intake or discharge of a fluid during operation of the fluid handling device, at least one of said faces being formed with a curved groove spaced from said working space having ends opening in said confronting faces of said side walls, respectively; and curved sealing means disposed in said curved groove and located in said slots between at least one of said vane faces and one of said slot faces and extending from one of said end faces of said second body through one of said slot end portions in one of said side walls, through said central slot portion, and through the other slot end portion in the other side wall to the other end face of said second body and being Snacerl from said working space.

18. A fluid handling device comprising, in combination, a first body having ends; side walls disposed at the ends of said first body and having confronting faces; a second body having end faces between said confronting faces and having a surface defining with said side walls and said first body a working space, said first body and said side walls being formed with connected slots open toward said second body, each slot composed of a central slot portion in said first body and a pair of slot end portions respectively located in said side walls, each slot having a pair of slot faces; vanes mounted in said slots, respectively, and having pairs of vane faces respectively confronting said slot faces, said vanes projecting into said working space to divide the same into a plurality of working chambers adapted to expand and contract for intake or discharge of a fluid during operation of the fluid handling device, at least one of said faces being formed with a plurality of connected straight grooves extending spaced from said working space transverse to each other, and including first aligned grooves in said slot end portion of said side walls extending transversely to said confronting faces and opening on the same, a pair of second grooves connected to said first grooves in said slot end portions respectively, and a third groove partly located in said first body and connecting said second grooves; and a plurality of straight sealing strips disposed in said grooves and including sealing strips in said first grooves having ends in contact with said end faces of said second body so that said sealing strips extend from one of said end faces of said second body through one of said slot end portions in one of said side walls, through said central slot portion, and through the other slot end portion in the other side wall to the other end face of said second body and being spaced from said working space.

19. A fluid handling device comprising, in combination, a first body having ends; side walls disposed at the ends of said first body and having confronting faces; a second body having end faces between said confronting faces and having a surface defining with said side walls and said first body a working space, said first body and said side walls being formed with connected slots open toward said second body, each slot composed of a central slot portion in said first body and a pair of slot end portions respectively located in said side walls, each slot having a pair of slot faces; vanes mounted in said slots, respectively, and having pairs of vane faces respectively confronting said slot faces, said vanes projecting into said working space to divide the same into a plurality of working chambers adapted to expand and contract for intake or discharge of a fluid during operation of the fluid handling device, each of said vane faces being formed with a groove means spaced from said working space; and sealing means disposed in each of said groove means and located in said slots between at least one of said vane faces and one of said slot faces and extending from one of said end faces of said second body through one of said slot end portions in one of said side walls, through said central slot portion, and through the other slot end portion in the other side wall to the other end face of said second body and being spaced from said working space.

20. A fluid handling device as set forth in claim 19 wherein said vanes have means for applying outwardly directed pressure to said sealing means so that the same are pressed to a position projecting from said groove means and abutting said slot faces.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 694,763 3/1902 Liethegener et al. 1238 2,044,873 6/ 1936 Beust 230205 3,102,518 9/ 1963 Anderson 123-8 MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH H. BRANSON, JR., SAMUEL LEVINE,

Examiners.

R. M. VARGO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A ROTARY VANE MACHINE HAVING A ROTOR COMPRISING A CENTRAL ROTOR PART AND ROTOR SIDE WALLS AXIALLY AT BOTH SIDES OF SAID CENTRAL PART, SAID ROTOR HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY RADIAL SLOTS EXTENDING RADIALLY WITHIN SAID CENTRAL ROTOR PART AND SAID ROTOR SIDE WALLS, AND A CASING RING SURROUNDING SAID CENTRAL ROTOR PART, SAID ROTOR SIDE WALLS AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY ENGAGING WITH THE TWO OPPOSITE LATERAL SIDES OF SAID CASING RING THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A VANE SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN ONE OF SAID SLOTS AND HAVING SUCH A LENGTH THAT A CENTRAL PART OF SAID VANE EXTENDS AXIALLY ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID CENTRAL ROTOR PART, WHILE THE TWO END PORTIONS OF SAID VANE EXTEND AT LEAST PARTLY INTO SAID ROTOR SIDE WALLS, SAID END PORTIONS HAVING PROJECTIONS EXTENDING RADIALLY IN THE OUTWARD DIRECTION AND EMBRACING SAID CASING RING AT BOTH LATERAL SIDES THEREOF, AT LEAST ONE LONGITUDINAL SIDE OF SAID VAND INCLUDING SAID PROJECTIONS BEING SLIDABLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE WALL OF ONE OF SAID SLOTS SO AS TO FORM AN INTERMEDIATE GAP, AND SEALING MEANS IN THE FORM OF GASKET STRIP MEANS SEALING SAID GAP AND EXTENDING FROM ONE LATERAL SIDE OF SAID CASING RING INTO ONE END PORTION OF SAID VANE AND AROUND A CENTRAL PART OF SAID LONGITUDINAL SIDE OF SAID VANE INTO THE OPPOSITE END PORTION OF SAID VANE AND UP TO THE OTHER LATERAL SIDE OF SAID CASING RING. 